Thank you for following Ahram Online's coverage of the day's events. Please stay with us for the second part of our live updates which will cover events into the night.

19:50 Ahram Online's Bel Trew reports hearing a loud boom in Tahrir Square. Various users on Twitter also report hearing the noise, with differing opinions about whether the source is a concrete wall falling, an explosion, or something else.

19:40 A short distance from Tahrir Square at state media building Maspero, Philip Rizk, an activist and member of Mosireen, a social media cooperative, says teargas has been fired at protesters.

“At Maspero, security forces poisoning us with some kind of invisible teargas,” said Rizk via his Twitter account.

19:20 In the Nile Delta city of Damanhour, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reports that the Freedom and Justice Party headquarters has been raided by unknown assailants.

Earlier, the 6 April Youth Movement announced that all their members had withdrawn from the city by 5pm, and stated that they are against any form of vandalism.

19:10 Ahram Online’s Osman El-Sharnoubi reports that one of the tear gas bombs thrown by police off Tahrir has fallen onto the square, dispersing thousands of protesters in the spot where it fell.

“Tear gas smell is very potent in the square. Protesters chanted for the overthrow of the regime as they moved away from the tear gas bomb,” he said.

19:00 Cairo’s metro has been disrupted by hundred of protesters who are currently occupying the railway tracks at both Sadat station and Gamal Abdel Nasser station, both in downtown Cairo, chanting “The people demand the overthrow of the regime.”

18:50 Violent sexual attacks have begun in Tahrir Square by the infamous spot near Hardees burger restaurant. Ahram Online journalist Bel Trew was at the scene.

"Sexual harassment has suddenly started in Tahrir. There was a huge mob of people by Hardees and the Ismailia hotel, with people screaming 'harassment harassment', and much confusion as people tried to get all women out of the area. I couldn't see the woman who was being attacked because of the crowds, but was told she had been stripped and beaten and was screaming hysterically. The anti-sexual harassment team rushed to her aid and tried to get her out. She is apparently now in an ambulance. Groping is also rife now as night falls on Cairo's streets.”

An anti-sexual harrassment group run by volunteers which posts on Twitter under the account @OpAntiSH, has republished its hotline numbers in cases of mob sexual assaults, with the request that they not be used for media information: 01202390087 / 01016051145 / 01157892357.

18:40 Hundreds of protesters have set off from Tahrir Square in a march to Maspero, the headquarters of state television and radio, led by longtime leftist activist Kamal Khalil, according to Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

Khalil was chanting “Escalation, escalation! A revolution all over again!”

18:35 The Popular Current has issued a statement calling on "all its members and Egyptians protesting in Cairo to head towards the Shura Council's premises [near Tahrir Square] to surround it."

"The [Popular] Current sees that this is the majority intention in the Square … it is the council that still introduces legislation, although it has completely lost its legitimacy whether through power or law or the people."

The Shura Council – the upper house of parliament – assumed legislative authority after the dismantling of the lower chamber, the People's Assembly, through a court order rendered the results of last year's parliamentary elections unconstitutional.

Legal experts argue that the same law should result in the dissolving of the Shura Council, whose fate is yet to be determined by the High Constitutional Court.

18:30 Close to Tahrir Square, in Sheikh Rihan Street (which leads to the interior ministry's headquarters), teargas canisters are still being thrown by the police at protesters from behind the wall that stands in the middle of the street. Demonstrators in return hurl rocks and Molotov cocktails in the opposite direction. Ambulances are treating the injured in the area, according to Ahram Online's Osman El-Sharnoubi.

18:25 Ahram Online’s Sarah El-Rashidi has been spending some time with the sister and mother of Khaled Said, the young man who became the face of the 25 January uprising after he was brutally beaten to death by police in 2010.

Said’s mother and sister came from Alexandria to participate in Friday’s protests in Tahrir Square. They have participated in several protests against the rule of the military and the Muslim Brotherhood since the 2011 uprising.

Said’s sister Zahra told El-Rashidi: “I want justice and order; I want to get rid of the Muslim Brotherhood. I am not happy with anything that happened over the past six months; they were worse than Mubarak’s 30 years.
All of these elections are corrupt, as the constitution should have been drafted before any elections are held. They [Muslim Brotherhood] have disregarded the interest of Egyptians and only went after their own. We are beyond the point of dialogue now, they have separated people through their judgmental discourse.”

Khaled’s mother Laila also spoke to El-Rashidi.

“I am here for Khaled and all young people who consider me like their mother, who said we are all Khaled Said. Why does the Muslim Brotherhood act as though that they are Muslims and we’re not? Judging against not only Christians but Muslims themselves. We were always together, one hand. Why are they trying to divide us? I pray to God that we get rid of Morsi and the Brotherhood soon.”

18:20 “Today’s protest is a proof of the revolution’s success,” deputy head of the FJP Essam El-Erian tells Al-Ahram Arabic. “Egypt was able to win its right to peaceful protest.”

Key Brotherhood figure El-Erian also states that the only way of resolving the current dispute is through dialogue or through the ballot box.

There still seem to be a significant number of protests and demonstrations taking place around the country. Aswat Masriy reports that hundreds have stormed the Kafr El-Sheikh governorate headquarters, and did not face any interference from security forces.

Al-Ahram Arabic reports that a number of masked Black Bloc youth have blocked off the main street leading to President Mohamed Morsi’s house in his hometown of Zagazig, also without facing any interference from security forces present at the scene.

The “Black Bloc” seem to be drawing on lessons from European “Black Bloc” protesters in Germany in the 1970s, and at anti-globalisation protests in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Black Bloc groups usually wear face-concealing items during their protests, and sometimes resort to violence to achieve their goals.

18:15 Ambulance service sources tell Ahram Online that the number of injured have reached 120 nationwide.

In Upper Egypt’s Aswan, clashes using bladed weapons have erupted between supporters and opponents of President Mohamed Morsi, reported Al-Ahram’s Arabic news website.

The clashes broke out when a number of Morsi’s supporters demanded that the opposition stage stop repeating offensive chants.

At least two have been injured as a result.

18:15 In Cairo, security officers fire tear gas at protesters present at the presidential palace following an attempt by the masked group Black Bloc to cross the barbed wires placed by security forces in front of the palace.

It was also reported that tents of protesters have been removed by the police.

Meanwhile, the Muslim Brotherhood’s official spokesperson in Alexandria, Anas El-Qady, said in a press statement on Friday that the day’s demonstrations were not “big enough to fill a street or a square” adding that the violence seen only reflects the political weakness of the forces calling for the protests.

“What some political forces are doing now in spreading chaos and violence is only an attempt to make a coup against legitimacy...The people’s refusal to participate was made obvious by how they participated in protecting public property, including the Alexandria court complex.”

El-Qady added that the Muslim Brotherhood chose to celebrate the anniversary through development projects as “they care about the future of this country and the people’s aspirations and interests”. He said that the Brotherhood have offered free health services and sold subsidised products across Egypt.

18:10 Al-Ahram Arabic reports that hundreds have destroyed the Ismailia governorate headquarters’ facade and attempted to storm the building.

18:05 Ahmed Harara, the dentist-turned-activist who lost one eye during the January 25 Revolution and other later in the same year in clashes between protesters and police, arrives in Cairo's Tahrir Square to a hero's reception, reported Ahram Online's Osman El-Sharnoubi. A group of protesters hand a placard to him that reads: "Morsi is a liar, the Muslim Brotherhood are murderers."

18:00 Mohamed Sultan, the head of the health ministry's ambulance service, announced that injuries nationwide have reached 61 on Friday. There have been 41 reported injured in Alexandria, nine in Suez, eight in Cairo, one in Luxor, one in Mahalla and one in Beheira.

In Cairo, former MP Mostafa El-Guindy, who is now a member of the Constitution Party – founded by opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei – and the National Salvation Front, spoke to reporters in Tahrir Square. "The square's role is to instigate action, and tonight there will be action; either the constitution is brought down or we are," he said.

17:55 Spokesperson of the Armed Forces Ahmed Mohamed Ali released a statement Friday afternoon stating that the army will not be taking part in any confrontations with civilians, explaining that the spreading of military forces at the entrances to Greater Cairo is part of a plan by the armed forces to intensify security measures on the highways leading to the capital.

“This is a precautionary routine procedure to secure the country through critical timing. We took the same procedure last November,” said Ali.

"There is very potent tear gas on Sheikh Rihan Street. Some protesters are distributing vinegar to counter the effects of the tear gas," he said.

17:45 Al-Ahram's Arabic website reports that protesters stoned the premises of the city council in the city of Mahalla, located in Delta's Gharbiya governorate, while calling for the "fall of the regime."

Earlier, a march consisting of members of several revolutionary groups as well as hardcore football fan ‘Ultras’ groups had headed to the council and chanted anti-Brotherhood slogans, according to the same report.

17:40 Five revolutionary groups issued a statement to mourn the "passing away of two martyrs" on the second anniversary of Egypt's revolution. No deaths have been officially confirmed thus far.

According to the statement, both persons were killed in the coastal city of Alexandria where clashes between demonstrators and police forces have been ongoing. It was signed by the Popular Current, the Social Popular Alliance, the Free Egyptian Movement, the April 6 Democratic Front (a breakaway group from the original April 6 Youth Movement), and the Revolutionary Socialists.

The health ministry's Egyptian Ambulance Organisation, however, issued a statement saying no deaths had been reported at 4pm Egypt time, while 61 had been injured across Egypt during the ongoing clashes and protests.

The statement issued by the five revolutionary groups was released at approximately 5pm.

17:35 TheFreedom and Justice Party's foreign affairs analyst Islam Abdel-Rahman criticised the media's coverage of the the controversial new Black Bloc group, who have blocked the tramway tracks in Alexandria on Friday.
"I wonder, if they [Black Bloc] had some Islamic flags or signs, what would be the media’s reaction?" said Abdel-Rahman on his Twitter account.

17:30 New head of the Salafist Nour Party Yousef Makhioun urged demonstrators to avoid violence or assaulting public property, in a Friday press statement as street battles escalate across the country.

He stressed that police members are also Egyptian and should not be attacked as “we are all one nation”.

The ultraconservative leader called on all Egyptians to “stand in the way of those who are trying to use the current events to create chaos and destroy state institutions because the poor will be the hardest hit.”

17:25 Take a look at our latest op-ed: Why Egypt's 'Twitter revolution' was a western myth

17:20 In the first official statement issued amid Friday's protests, Prime Minister Hisham Qandil calls on party leaders to be stricter in their rejection of violence.

"I demand party heads and political forces to assume their national responsibility by declaring their outright rejection of all acts of rioting and torching buildings instead they should commit to the peacefulness of protests," Qandil said on his official Facebook page Friday afternoon.

"I have reviewed with the minister of interior Maj. Gen. Mohamed Ibrahim the current security situation as well as the status of those arrested upon yesterday's events" he continued.

Several protesters were arrested Thursday evening when clashes intensified between riot police and protesters who broke down parts of the concrete block wall at Cairo's downtown street Qasr El-Aini.

Protesters are chanting against president Mohamed Morsi and his policies. Among the crowds are families of the defendants facing trial for last year’s February 1 Port said massacre.

Egypt's criminal court is expected to announce its verdict on the contentious case, Saturday.

17:10 Marches leaving from Shubra and Mostafa Mahmoud have reached a packed Tahrir as the masses chant "the people demand the overthrow of the regime."

17:05 The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party headquarters in Ismailia have been torched, Reuters reports.

Witnesses told the British news agency that a group of youths had first broken into and then ransacked the office of the FJP.

17:00 Protesters in Suez have entered the governorate’s headquarters amid escalating clashes with the security forces, Ahmed Khafagi a member of the Suez Youth bloc told Ahram Online .
Khafagi added that they hung up a poster of a slain protester as soon as they entered the government building.

16:55 Back on Tahrir Ahram Online's Sarah El-Rashidi talks to journalist Sherin Ali about her take on Egypt, two years on from the revolution:

“I'm here today because I believe oppression, poverty and injustice is not the written fate of the Egyptian people. Millions have been struggling for freedom and dignity. However, unfortunately, we are cursed with one leader after another who believe that coming to power simply means enjoying the privileges of the position without its full responsibility and duty."

“I'm here today not to remove Morsi, because he assumed power through the ballot box, but to remind him that he has a duty to the Egyptian people and that he can't oppress and exclude the opposition”, she added.

16:50 Moving north to the Cairo suburb of Nasr City, the march which kicked off from Rabaa Al-Adawyia mosque has arrived at the presidential palace, reports Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

Security presence was bolstered earlier this morning around the main gate to the palace.

16:45 In central Cairo, 100s block the Maspero Corniche, where the state radio and television headquarters are located, calling for the end of the regime, reports Ahram Arabic website.

“Down with the rule of the [Muslim Brotherhood] Supreme Guide," the demonstrators also chant.

Negotiations between protesters and traffic police continue, as the security forces push to open the road to traffic.

“I am here to keep the pressure on and for social justice for the Egyptian people,” she says.

16:35 Meanwhile moving north to Alexandria, Ahram Online’s Yasmine Fathi says hundreds of protesters are marching towards Sidi Gaber district, another popular place in the coastal city for protests.

16:30 In response to news the Shubra march was attacked under the building of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Ikhwan Online, the Islamist group say it was in fact a “third attempt to raid their offices”.

Rather than the Brotherhood being responsible for throwing rocks and glass at the protesters heading for Tahrir, they say a battle is currently ensuing between residents of Tawfiqya and a masked group. Both groups, the Islamist group added, are firing birdshot and molotov cocktails at each other.

Ahram Online journalist Mostafa Ali at the scene says he can hear heavy gunfire and can see 100s of protesters from the Shubra march surrounding the Brotherhood building, they appear to be under fire from unknown assailants.

The rest of the Shubra march continued on to Tahrir Square.

16:15 The police have been ordered to deal with protesters "firmly" as they have recieved reports that groups will try to storm the court building, Head of Alexandria's Investigative Police Nasser El-Abd told Ahram Online’s Ahmed Eleiba. He added that the police have orders to stand their ground against any attempts to enter or damage state buildings.

Clashes continue in Egypt's coastal city between the security forces and protesters outside of the Alexandrian governorate building.

16:10 Assailants armed with stones and glass attacked the Shubra march from the roof of Each Way hotel at Al-Tawfikya market near the High court, says Ahram Online reporter Hossam El-Hamalawy from the rally.

“We can hear shots, we don’t know if its bird shot or live ammunition,” El-Hamalawy confirmed.

Eyewitnesses accuse the Muslim Brotherhood of initiating the violence, however others suggest it is part of a vendors fight.

Ahram Online’s El-Hamalawy says the attack originated from the bureau of the Muslim Brotherhood’s official website Ikhwan Online, right next to the Tawfikya market, when they started throwing stones at protesters. Ikhwan Online’s office was allegedly attacked last night.

16:00 The Ministry of Interior has issued a warning to protesters engaging the police, on its official Facebook page:

“Dear revolutionaries, you have the right to protest, express your opinion as much as you want. There will be no hostility between you and us as long as you refrain from any sabotage or attacks on police establishments"

15:55 Passing by state-owned Al-Gomhorya newspaper, protesters in the Shubra march chant against "the misleading media" as they reach Ramsis Street on their journey to Cairo's Tahrir.

15:50 Meanwhile back in Tahrir, Ahram Online’s Ekram Ibrahim catchs up with activist and co-founder of the No To Military Trials For Civilians campaign Mona Seif.

"I think the turnout of protesters is good. I am here mainly because our social justice demands have yet to be fulfilled - the government is instead adopting the line of not caring."

15:45 Violence spreads across the country as clashes erupt in Suez between hundreds of protesters and security forces at the governorate headquarters.

Medhat Eissa of the Suez Revolutionary Bloc told Ahram Online security forces started firing tear gas as the march approached the government building. Several injuries have been reported, he confirmed.

Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has posted pictures of its members painting the walls of Al-Azhar University. (Photo: Freedom and Justice Party FB. page)

15:35 Rebab El-Mahdi, a political science professor at the American University in Cairo and well-known political activist, tells Ahram Online that the only way to get rid of the current regime with all its policies is to build a new political alternative, working on the ground and dealing with the real demands of the people.

“The circumstances now are different than they were in January 2011,” she told Ahram Online. “Protests and sit-ins in different squares around Egypt will not topple the regime or convince people to join. The revolutionary forces need to build real alternatives that engage people and their everyday struggles with the political demands of the revolution, and this is not an easy task.”

15:30 Ahram Online's Simon Hanna has been filming from the frontlines of the clashes in Cairo. You can find the video here.

15:25 Al-Ahram Arabic reports that protesters at in front of Al-Manshia police station have been attacked by a number of people armed with bladed weapons.

According to Alexandrian authorities at least thirty have been injured in the clashes taking place in the coastal city.

Meanwhile, Ahram Online’s Yasmine Fathi is at the governorate’s headquarters, where tear gas is being fired at protesters. She reports that the canisters being used bear no labels or details about where they were manufactured, and describes the effect of the gas as “much worse” than gas used in previous clashes.

15:20 Moving to the seaport city of Suez, three marches have started marching to the iconic Al-Arabeen square. Protesters are chanting: "Our demands is still the same - bread, dignity and social justice" and "Down with the [Muslim Brotherhood's] Supreme Guide."

15:15 Several small demonstrations are take place in governorates around Egypt, including Damanhour, Sharqiya, Minya, Menoufiya, Luxor and Dakhiliyah.

The chants are mostly protesting deteriorating living conditions, demanding justice for slain protesters, and pressing for the revolution’s unmet goals. Many chants are against the Muslim Brotherhood using the slogan: “Down with the rule of the Supreme Guide.”

15:10 On its official Facebook page, the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party has posted pictures of its members painting the walls of Al-Azhar University. The Brotherhood had said that they would not be participating in the planned demonstrations but would be launching a campaign dubbed “Together we build Egypt” providing community services.

Clashes erupt in Suez between hundreds of protesters and security (Photo: Mohamed Abdo)

15:05 In Alexandria, the situation remains tense. Hundreds of protesters are now gathering at Al-Manshia police station in the coastal city, chanting ”the ministry of interior are thugs,” reported Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

The police have chained the station’s gates shut and fired shots in the air to disperse protesters; both security forces and protesters are throwing stones at each other.

Meanwhile, around 4,000 have left Saad Zaghloul Square marching to Alexandria’s court complex.

In Cairo, the small-scale clashes close to Tahrir Square continue; Ahram Online's Zeinab El-Gundy reports that protesters are throwing flaming balls of cloth at police, while both sides are hurling stones at each other.

15:00 Thousands are marching from Al-Istiqama mosque in Giza, led by founder of the Strong Egypt Party Abdel-Moneim Abul-Fotouh.

Also taking part in the march are the president’s former advisor Seif Abdel Fatah, and several members of the Strong Egypt Party including political analyst Rebab El-Mahdi and TV anchor and poet Abdel-Rahman Youssef.

The 6 April Democratic Front and the Socialist Youth Movement are also participating in the march.

Al-Ahram Arabic website quoted Abul-Fotouh as saying that he rejected the slogan “the people want the fall of the regime” and “down with the rule of the [Muslim Brotherhood’s] Supreme Guide”, saying that it was not 25 January 2011 and that he and his party want to reform the regime and not topple it.

14:55 According to Mohamed Sultan, the head of the health ministry's ambulance service, four people have been injured so far today in the clashes in Cairo, with a total of 29 injured since the violence began yesterday.

14:50 Numbers at the Mostafa Mahmoud mosque in the middle-class Cairo district of Mohandeseen are steadily increasing, reports Ahram Online’s Ekram Ibrahim.

Ibrahim spoke to Mohamed Sherif, a 28-year-old demonstrator who has been protesting since January 28, 2011.

"My demands are that Morsi changes the government and that the constitution is cancelled. If these top demands are not met I will not leave Tahrir Square," said Sherif.

The Shubra march, led by labour activist Kamal Abou Eita, has reached almost 20,000 people, reports Ahram Online’s Hossam El-Hamalawy. Protesters are chanting: “Students with workers against the president’s exploitation.”

Street battles began in Alexandria

14:45 Al-Ahram Arabic is reporting a number of anti-government demonstrations around Egypt. Protesters in Qena, Upper Egypt, have staged a demonstration in Al-Mahatta Square chanting "Down with the rule of the Morshid [Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood]" and "They said justice and stability and the people are left hungry."

Members of the Egyptian Democratic Party, the Nasserist Party, the National Salvation Front, and the Constitution Party all took part in the protest, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

In Mahalla city in the Nile Delta, protesters reportedly tore down images of President Morsi that had been put up by his supporters, reported Al-Ahram Arabic. Hundreds of protesters marched through the centre of Mahalla chanting "Leave, leave, Morsi" and "Mahallah is with Tahrir." Their chants also described the current situation as the "era of train martyrs and house collapses.”

14:40 Clashes have erupted in Egypt's second city of Alexandria, reports Ahram Online’s Ahmed Eleiba. The march coming from Qaed Ibrahim reached the Governorate headquarters, where the street battles began.

Shubra march (Photo: Hossam El-Hamalawy)

Hundreds of demonstrators, including several who identified themselves as members of the Black Bloc, formed lines as they approached the government building and were met with tear gas from the security forces.

Several people have fainted and ambulances are rushing to the scene, said Eleiba.

Ahram Online’s Yasmine Fathi says what seems like bullet shots can be heard and reports snipers can be seen on top of a fire fighting brigade station. Protesters are breaking up the pavement to make rocks.

Meanwhile, Al-Ahram Arabic website reporter Ahmed Sabri says several individuals dressed in black and identifying themselves as members of the Black Bloc have stormed the Alexandria Court.

In Northern Sinai, police forces have arrived near El-Horreya Square, formerly called El-Refaei Square, in Al-Arish city in anticipation of any violence that may erupt in Friday’s demonstrations, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

14:30 Moving back to Tahrir, Sarah El-Rashidi says political figure and founding member of Kifaya movement George Isaac has just entered the square surrounded by a huge a crowd.

Atif Aziz, a demonstrator in his forties, tells Ahram Online why people are so reluctant to talk to the media

“We are in a huge dilemma...it is not about getting rid of Morsi it is much more complicated than that.”

Aziz blames the current status on the lack of a plan from the side of the revolutionaries.

As the march kicked off, the protesters were greeted by a family of a slain protester from their balcony as those marhcing chanted for vengeance for those killed during the January 25 Revolution.

The rally which was dubbed “the march for social justice” focused on calling for labour rights, present was prominent labour activist and head of the independent union of Real Estate Tax Agency Employees Kamal Abou-Eita.

In Alexandria’s Qaed Ibrahim, prayers finished and demonstrators have increased now to thousands (Photo: Yasmine Fathi)

14:15 Six people have been injured, including a Spanish journalist in the Qasr El-Aini clashes, reports Ahram Online journalist Zeinab El-Gundy.

Qasr El-Aini clashes

14:10 A boisterous Alexandrian march leaving Qaed Ibrahim rally point is chanting against the Muslim Brotherhood and calling for the end of Morsi’s rule, reports Ahram Online’s Yasmine Fathi from the coastal city.

Demonstrators are chanting for the right of the martyrs and focusing mostly on Gaber Salah or ‘Jika’, a 16-year-old protester who was shot by police last November during clashes around the Ministry of Interior.

14:00 US embassy warned their citizens in Egypt to avoid downtown areas of Cairo and Heliopolis as well as Alexandria on the January 25 Revolution's anniversary.

"As a matter of general practice, US citizens should avoid areas where large gatherings may occur. Even demonstrations or events intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence. US citizens in Egypt are urged to monitor local news reports and to plan their activities accordingly," read the security statement on their official website.

13:45 Protesters are demanding the application of minimum and maximum wage as well as protesting the increase in prices at a gathering in working-class district of Imbaba, says Ahram Arabic website.

The hundreds-strong rally is preparing to march on Tahrir.

“Shout out loud residents of Imbaba the Brotherhood do not represent us,” the angry demonstrators chant

Protesters are chanting against Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Guide Mohamed El-Badie and deputy-head of Freedom and Justice Party Essam El-Erian, accusing the latter of being a Zionist.

Among those demonstrating are youth of the opposition coalition National Salvation Front, April 6 Youth movement and the Revolutionary Socialists.

“The people demand the overthrowing of the regime,” chant the protesters.

13:15 In Alexandria’s Qaed Ibrahim, prayers finished and demonstrators have increased now to thousands.

13:10 Prime Minister Hisham Qandil has reportedly asked the Ministry of Communications to boost network coverage in places where huge rallies are expected for the anniversary rallies, says Minister of Communication Atef Helmi.

Speaking to Turkish press agency Anatoli, Helmi said the capacity of the three working networks Mobinil, Etisalat and Vodafone will be increased by 15 -20 per cent. These wavelengths will be taken from the army.

13:05 Tens of protesters at Heliopolis’s presidential palace, the site of mass rallies in December against President Mohamed Morsi, blocked El-Merghany street using burning tyres for 30 minutes until security forces convinced them to retreat, reports Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

13:00 According to Mohamed Sultan head of Egypt's ambulance, at least 35 ambulances will be present on the square.
"We will also be coordinating with the field hospitals which will start working following Friday's prayers," Sultan told Al-Ahram Arabic news website.

“What is happening to the Brotherhood today is exactly what happened to prophet Mohamed during the early days of his message when the Kuffar (infidels) were fighting him."

12:47 Back on Tahrir, Ahram Online’s Zeinab El-Guindy reports that the clashes are intensifying on the corner of the flashpoint square. A tear gas bomb thrown from the police’s side was picked up by a young boy who threw it back at the security forces.

Moving to the center of Tahrir Square, El-Guindy says the preacher Mohamed Abdallah Nasr leading the Friday prayers is attacking the Muslim Brotherhood saying, they are “using double standards.”

12:45 Back to Cairo, leading figure of the National Salvation Front Mohamed ElBaradei has just arrived at Mostafa Mahmoud mosque, in the middle-class district of Mohandissen to join in the prayers before the marches start, reports Ahram Online’s Ekram Ibrahim.

Mostafa Mahmoud mosque (Photo: Ekram Ibrahim)

12:35 Meanwhile inAlexandria at the main rallying point Qaed Ibrahim Square, hundreds have already gathered. However, Sheikh Ahmed Mahalawy, known for his pro-revolution speeches during the 18-day uprising in 2011 and controversial pro-Islamist sermons which have sparked recent clashes in the coastal city, chose not to give the Friday sermon.

Banners demanding that President Mohamed Morsi steps down surround a mixed crowd, which includes both young and old as well as many women. Chants condemn the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party as “liars”.

Two marches are planned in the coastal city, one from Qaed Ibrahim another from the Two Saints Church and possibly a third rally from the middle-class area of Victoria Square.

“I am here because of the increasing prices. I come from the slums and I feel that the Brotherhood only care about the poor when they need votes."

12:25 There has been a low turnout at the Mostafa Mahmoud Mosque rallying point even after Friday prayers, says Ahram Online's Ekram Ibrahim.

Tens are holding Egyptian flags in an absence of political groups.

12:15 Scuffles between protesters and security forces erupt on Qasr El-Aini Street near Tahrir Square a few hours before thousands are scheduled to gather on the square to mark the revolution’s 2nd anniversary.

The clashes reportedly took place after a number of protesters attempted to bring down the wall built by security forces on the street adjacent to key government buildings.

Earlier on Thursday, two protesters were arrested by the police for trying to remove the wall which was built in November 2012 during Cairo’s downtown street Mohamed Mahmoud's commemoration where clashes took place between Egypt's Central Security Forces (CSF) and protesters.

Members of the Black Bloc, a new vigilante group all dressed in black, who made their first statement on the eve of the second anniversary vowing to fight the Muslim Brotherhood, are planning to march on the presidential palace instead of Tahrir.

11.45 Hundreds are already gathered in the iconic square reports Ahram Online’s Zeinab El-Guindy. Street vendors are lining up around the square selling flags, t-shirts, food and drinks catering to the masses expected to appear marking the revolution anniversary.

11.30 Good morning, we open our live coverage of today’s mass rallies for the 2nd anniversary of Egypt’s 2011 uprising.

The sun shines over Tahrir squares as it welcomes the third round of the January 25 Revolution with banners hung saying “No to the Prosecutor General, No the Muslim Brotherhood’s supreme guide, No to Military trials”.

Tahrir is filled with tens of tents and a small mural of the January 25 Revolution’s martyrs has been erected in the middle of the square’s garden.

Small demos are marching around the square chanting “Leave” awaiting the masses who plan to march to the square following Friday's prayers.

Thousands are expected to gather in Tahrir Square to mark the 2nd anniversary of Egypt’s January 25 Revolution amid deepening political turmoil across the country.

Thursday night saw clashes between security forces and protesters on Qasr Al-Aini Street by key government buildings such as the upper house of parliament and the Cabinet headquarters, after groups attempted to remove a 12ft concrete security barricade erected by the military during previous street battles.

Political parties and movements from across the spectrum – both Islamist and non-Islamist – have made plans for the day ranging from protest rallies and marches to public street-cleaning campaigns.

On Sunday, 16 revolutionary parties and groups announced plans to mark the occasion with countrywide demonstrations. These groups say they will continue to push for longstanding revolutionary goals – namely 'freedom, bread and social justice' – and combat perceived political monopolisation by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.

Friday's rallies are slated to begin immediately following noon prayers. Several marches will set out for Tahrir Square from different areas of Cairo and Giza, including Helwan, Shubra, Al-Zawaya, Imbaba and Mohandeseen's Mostafa Mahmoud Square. Another march has also been planned from points in Cairo to the Presidential Palace.
Additional rallies are also expected in several governorates, including Alexandria, the Red Sea, Kafr Al-Sheikh, Assuit, Port Said, Suez and Sharqiya.

Among the parties and groups participating in Friday's planned protests are the Constitution Party, the Egyptian Popular Current, the Socialist Popular Alliance, the Free Egyptians party, the Revolutionary Socialists and the Maspero Youth Coalition.

The Muslim Brotherhood and its Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), meanwhile, declared that they would – unlike last year – refrain from taking part in either celebrations or protests. Rather, the group plans to launch a campaign from 24 January to 5 February aimed at providing free healthcare and public sanitation services.

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14

Zainal

27-01-2013 05:02pm

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5+

Desperados at work

These are the acts of desperate secularist & remnant of Mubarak regime. The people of Egypt is not blind. Keep up your good work Ikhwan. Zainal, Malaysia.

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13

Nahed Hamza

26-01-2013 09:55am

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13+

Ikhwan are samarter

Ikhwan played by the rules of the ballot box, you play by the rule of the rabbles. They will win, you will lose, They are simply smarter.

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12

300

26-01-2013 09:31am

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17+

Secularists have lost it

While the MB is planting trees and giving to the needy to celebrate the revolution the secularists are destroying because they can't win, they are losing even more votes because of it.

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11

Jimmey

26-01-2013 07:11am

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10+

The 80% rule

80% of today's participants were with Mubarak two years ago. Similarly, 80% of people that hold off today, were in Jan 25th, two years ago. If I may add, the opposition is mix bag of losers united. Pray for Egypt. It needs it.

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10

Roslyn

26-01-2013 01:43am

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Thank you Ahramonline

I would sincerely like to thank you for your excellent updated coverage of the second anniversary of the Revolution. Excellent, factual hourly updates.
My condolences to all martyrs and their families. I am hoping in the coming years to be able to celebrate this historic revolution rather than to commiserate. Egypt has been sadly divided with such disappointment in the outcome who can blame them! The revolution will continue until the very basic demands of Freedom, bread and social justice has been met.

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9

Roslyn

26-01-2013 01:43am

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0+

Thank you Ahramonline

I would sincerely like to thank you for your excellent updated coverage of the second anniversary of the Revolution. Excellent, factual hourly updates.
My condolences to all martyrs and their families. I am hoping in the coming years to be able to celebrate this historic revolution rather than to commiserate. Egypt has been sadly divided with such disappointment in the outcome who can blame them! The revolution will continue until the very basic demands of Freedom, bread and social justice has been met.

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8

Jezzz

25-01-2013 08:57pm

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seriously,

Seriously, you said ekhwan ruined your country ad mismanaged it. From my point of view, ekhwan is try so hard to manage your country which was ruined by mubakarak. Egyptians should stop protesting and help their government to manage the country. You don't have time, other countries is moving ahead. But egypt is still blurghhh...

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7

Ismael

25-01-2013 07:53pm

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6+

Enemies of the people

Those who fly in the face of democracy and opt for terror and vandalism and arson are enemies of the people.

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6

Mohamed-Sri Lanka

25-01-2013 07:06pm

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21+

we all Love Egypt

We Look your revolution as Grade Example for the world Now why you all Destroyed your own public properties ,Don't you have faith in Dialog, If you Don't Like Brotherhood Remove them By Ballot Box, Dear Egyptians we all Love you as A Powerful Muslim Nation ,Violent is Ugly ,May Allah Help you to solve your problems.

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5

Basheer

25-01-2013 06:02pm

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Oppositions modus operandi....

The GREAT loses at the ballot box, the so-called OPPOSITION showing, once again, their undemocratic way of operating through THUGGERY, VIOLENCE and VANDALISM.
The GREAT people of Egypt will punish then even further at the ballot box in the coming election....INSHA-ALLAH!!!